The CW to air Saturday and Sunday PBR events in new multi-year deal

The CW has reached a multi-year agreement with Professional Bull Riders to become the exclusive broadcast home of Saturday and Sunday PBR Camping World Team Series events.

The announcement completes PBR Teams’ broadcast lineup, with Fox Nation continuing to carry Friday night games and CBS maintaining its existing “Game of the Week” programming. The CW’s live coverage begins Aug. 9 and 10 from Sunrise, Fla., during the Freedom Days event.

The CW will air 11 weekends of PBR Teams competition live, including the league’s championship event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 25 and 26. Saturday coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, and Sunday broadcasts start at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

Ryan Sharkey, senior vice president of programming and content strategy for The CW Network, said the partnership adds “grit” and “edge-of-your-seat action” to the network’s growing weekend sports lineup, which also includes NASCAR Xfinity Series races.

Sean Gleason, CEO and commissioner of PBR, said The CW provides “free over-the-air access” that will help bring bull riding to a broader national audience. He called the deal a complement to PBR’s current television schedule.

PBR joins a roster of live sports programming on The CW that includes WWE NXT, AVP beach volleyball, ACC and Pac-12 football, and the Savannah Bananas baseball team, which will make its broadcast debut July 27 from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.